Date: 20th February 2014

Dear ……

Thank you for inviting me here today. I am Niall O’Reilly, Managing Director of Accurate Group – China Market Makers –, and Director for China, Irish Exporters Association. This is my 25th year in China, the last 8 years of which I have been based in Hangzhou. Previously I have been responsible for Asia Pacific marketing for two leading USA-based multi-nationals. One of the Asia Pacific marketing campaigns I directed with global advertising agency BBDO won a gold medal at the Malaysia advertising awards.

How to capture the appeal of Hangzhou in one slogan? Read the tea leaves – Hangzhou’s Longing (Dragon Well) Tea

In 2015 China is expected to overtake France as the world’s top tourist destination

It is against such a backdrop that ever pioneering Hangzhou was the first mainland China city to put into practice an ‘open door’ global policy of promoting its tourism industry to more than a dozen new markets including United Kingdom, Germany, France and United States.

Nevertheless, foreign tourists will only be attracted to travel by the quality of Hangzhou’s tourism product which would need to be amongst the very best in China. We would note, for example, while Hangzhou was once a stronghold for Islam in China, with historic Arab connections dating back 900 years, Hangzhou’s tourist product offering for high-spending visitors from the Middle East and the Gulf States arriving in Hangzhou by way of 5 Star airline Qatar Airways is far from world-class.

Moreover, to break into these new markets Hangzhou tourism planners would first need to invest in focused programs which both highlight competitive strengths and positioning and have a track record for consistently delivering outstanding and innovative experiences. The resulting niche tourism products would likely be targeted at high value foreign tourists, encouraging them to either start or end their China trips in Hangzhou.

All of which are covered by Hangzhou’s proximity to Shanghai and the city’s Number 1 attraction: Four seasons of spectacular scenery.

Creating a new tourism catchphrase for Hangzhou

According to the book “Creative Advertising” by Charles Whittier:

“A slogan should be a statement of such merit about a product or service that is worthy of continuous repetitive advertising; is worthwhile for the public to remember; and is phrased in such a way that the public is likely to remember it.”

However, it’s a difficult job to capture the appeal of a destination such as Hangzhou and plug it into a hard-hitting, effective slogan.

Some slogans become real hits

“Egypt, where it all begins” is the impressive tourism slogan of Egypt, which intends to highlight Egypt’s historic status as a cradle of civilisations

“It’s more fun in the Philippines” is the cheery / happy travel slogan of the Philippines.

“100% pure New Zealand” is the marketing slogan of TourismNew Zealand, which reflects New Zealand’s image as a clean, green, adventure playground.

“Jump into Ireland”, the tourism slogan of Tourism Ireland (north and south) is designed to convey a sense of playfulness and to reflect the stimulating nature of a holiday in Ireland with unforgettable experiences and warm, friendly people.

Other effective slogans which we like are

“Mauritius – It’s a pleasure” – clean and simple

“Brazil – Sensational!”

Some slogans can be vague, unclear and even disturbing

“I Love (heart) New York” is the travel slogan many others try to emulate, but what does this catchphrase really convey about New York?

“South Africa: It’s Possible!” is South Africa’s tourism slogan. This slogan gives you no reason to visit South Africa

“Visit Bangladesh Before Tourists Come” was the tourism slogan of Bangladesh!

“Colombia: The Only Risk Is Wanting to Stay”, Columbia’s tourism slogan, could potentially cause more harm than good, by highlighting the reality of “risk”

Clearly some of these slogans’ unfortunate suggestions could have been caught early with international testing, and I therefore applaud the Hangzhou Tourism Commission and the Hangzhou Office of Foreign Affairs officials who have invited long-time foreign friends of Hangzhou here today to sound out our opinions regarding the four suggested new slogans for marketing Hangzhou in these new markets.

In my opinion, when developing a great inspirational slogan for Hangzhou — I am thinking along the lines of, for example, Subway’s ‘Eat Fresh’, Nike’s ‘Just Do It!; Sony’s ‘Make. Believe’ etc — five key elements need be adhered to:

Recognition. An effective slogan for Hangzhou must stay consistent with the Hangzhou brand name either obviously stated or strongly implied. It’s better to include the name of Hangzhou in it.By putting the Hangzhou name in the slogan, every time people hear it and see it, they re-imprint it and keep it top-of-mind. People identify with the name.

Unforgettable. Some of the best slogans, such as those just highlighted, are still being used today, even though they were launched more than a few years ago. Such slogans are memorable.

Useful. The chosen slogan should show Hangzhou’s intention and benefits of the tourism product by conveying the message in consumer language. Imply the risk of not using the product. Create a positive feeling for the consumers. – Such a slogan should be beneficial.

Differentiation. In an overcrowded tourism market, brands in the same industry need to set themselves apart through a creative and original slogan.

And finally, keep it simple. Use proven words and short keywords. Seven words or less: One word is usually not enough.

4 Final Slogans for Promoting Hangzhou Overseas

A diverse representation of 15 foreigners – including company owners, hotel managers, magazine editors and teachers – living in Hangzhou from periods of a year to over twenty years, were assembled by the Hangzhou Tourism Commission and Hangzhou Foreign Affairs Office to choose which one of the following four final slogans created by Shanghai Advertising Company would be best suited to promoting sophisticated brand image of Hangzhou overseas (in particular to reach tourists in Europe and the Americas).

Infinitely Hangzhou!

Authentic Hangzhou!

Hangzhou: Relax, Recharge, Rejuvenate

Hangzhou: A Living Poetry

The Shanghai Advertising Company account manager urged those present to consider each slogan in terms of four aspects:

“Relevance with Hangzhou City”

“Words elegancy”

“Pronunciation”

“Sense of Picture”

Infinitely Hangzhou!

Even against an appropriate setting of iconic Hangzhou panoramas, similar to “Brazil -Sensational!” or “Mauritius – It’s a pleasure”, for the intrepid tourist planning his/her first trip to China, having already ticked Beijing, Shanghai, and possibly Xian or Guilin, “Infinitely Hangzhou” comes across as rather vague. Infinitely what? Infinitely full of surprises or infinitely full of hope? What does “Infinitely Hangzhou” have to do with anything?

Of course, to those of us with even a basic knowledge of Hangzhou, simple “Infinitely Hangzhou” suggests a city of unlimited cultural expression. Yet, it will take first-rate emotionally appealing photographic backdrops to disarm “Infinitely Hangzhou” of its mind-numbing blandness. Hangzhou is an inviting and truly diverse city for those tourists that endeavour to discover its appeal. With respect to Hangzhou, a single word slogan will not generate an effective emotional impact.

Authentic Hangzhou!

With China’s heritage disappearing at an alarming rate in the race for modernisation, authenticity is a much sought-after, and increasingly elusive, quality that rates high with foreign tourists. As such, the slogan “Authentic Hangzhou” stakes Hangzhou’s claim to a rich historical past which continues to be alive and well. “Authentic Hangzhou” can also refer to Hangzhou’s natural landscape while underscoring the genuineness of its people.

Yet the slogan “Authentic Hangzhou” manages at the same time to be boring, nebulous and almost superfluous. Hangzhou may be the first Chinese city to start promoting itself to European and American markets, but soon numerous cities throughout China boasting an international airport will be getting in on the act, which begs the question: How effective will the slogan “Authentic Hangzhou” be in adequately articulating the unique attributes of Hangzhou, including the authentic experiences of Hangzhou’s history, architecture, cuisine and culture? Doubtless the tagline will be paired with colourful images, but it’s unclear whether visitors will make the connection between the slogan and the city’s emphasis on authentic experiences.

Hangzhou: Relax, Recharge, Rejuvenate

While “Hangzhou: Relax, Recharge, Rejuvenate” is the first to clearly state to spell out specific benefits of Hangzhou’s tourist product offering, the three ‘Rs’ make it sound like a catchy spa slogan. If truth be told the tagline does define what a vacation is all about, but in this case is more suggestive of warm beaches bathed in year-round sunshine, when in fact Hangzhou has four distinct seasons. Moreover, Hangzhou purists would argue that the tagline “Hangzhou: Relax, Recharge, Rejuvenate” completely negates seven thousand years of history.

On the positive side Hangzhou with its close proximity to Shanghai and growing direct international access via Xiaoshan International Airport is the ideal place for visitors to either China and relax prior to traipsing around the country and for unwinding following a hectic cross China sight-seeing schedule. If this is indeed the intended message of “Hangzhou: Relax, Recharge, Rejuvenate” then the slogan needs re-working, not least because “recharge” and “rejuvenate” are quite unoriginal and are more or less tantamount to the same meaning.

Hangzhou: Living Poetry

Hangzhou’s natural beauty and historic treasures, which embrace many aspects of Chinese culture, have been a source of inspiration for poets and painters throughout Chinese history. In contrast with modernising cities across China, including Shanghai, although Hangzhou has been through many recent urban developments, much of the city’s natural, historical and cultural heritage remains unchanged from what has been depicted in literature for centuries. As such, the slogan “Hangzhou: A Living Poetry” asserts that in essence nothing has changed about Hangzhou’s enduring allure, even if the city is China’s fourth largest metropolitan area, an appeal which, if properly packaged, would have to be enticing to China-bound European and American tourists.

Moreover, by portraying Hangzhou as a poetry in motion, “Hangzhou: A Living Poetry” comfortably encompasses the notions of “infinitely”, “authentic” and “relax, recharge, rejuvenate” as set out in the previous three taglines.

As such “Hangzhou: A Living Poetry” proved to be the most popular of the four slogans, although tweaked a little to make it more Now: “Hangzhou: Living Poetry”.

“Hangzhou: Living Poetry” – A simple, yet memorable, slogan for marketing the Hangzhou brand image to European and American tourists that people will identify with and which, by demonstrating the benefits of the city’s own matchless tourist product, clearly differentiates Hangzhou from would be competitors.

A special Mass for Mum will be held at St. Patrick’s Church, Monkstown, Co. Dublin at 10.00am Wednesday 1st August 2018 (two days before what would have been her 91th birthday). The 1st August marks the sixth anniversary of her passing.

“August 3rd 1927

A cursory look at the newspapers on this day reveals news all about what was going on up in the air:

In Germany two Junker pilots had flown a Junker W33 airplane for a new distance world record – taking 54 hours and 22 minutes.

Here at home on this the eleventh anniversary of Roger Casement’s execution at Dail Eireann (The Irish Parliament) was debating cracking down on the ‘insurgents’, who days earlier had assassinated Kevin O’Higgins, the Vice President.

–For us seated here today the mere fact Dail Eireann was even sitting in August is probably the most revealing part of this story!

An unremarkable day so far?
Well, not quite.
Up at the Goffs Bloodstock Sales in Ballsbridge a horsey friend approached bloodstock auctioneer James Byrne Senior to congratulate him.
James, acknowledging the good wishes with his usual aplomb, thought the man was referring to his recent sale of a fine looking filly (a young female horse too young to be called a mare).

“No James, I am not talking about a horse. Your wife has just given birth to a baby daughter!!

50 miles away in Kilcullen, Mary ‘Min’ Byrne was resting upstairs in Byrne’s Hotel (later famously known as ‘The Hideout’ Pub) having just given birth to our treasured Mother –

KATHLEEN NORA MARY BYRNE

What appears to have been a rather run of the mill day was indeed very special.

Happy 85th Birthday Mum!

Taking on the onerous task of summarising the life of our dearest mother (your Aunt, your friend, my very best friend) here and now will not do justice to the charming, gracious, humourous, beautiful and very loving woman that is Kathryn.

My two brothers (William and Conor) and I know that everyone of you here today holds a very special memory of our mother – with plenty of humour attached.

So, to share the joy that is our mother Kathryn, after the (cremation) service at Mount Jerome, we sincerely wish to invite all our mother’s friends (Our Friends), and relatives here today to come up to our house in Tivoli Close. We have arranged for Cafe de Journal on The Crescent here in Monkstown to provide catering and you will also have a chance to view our mother’s magical garden!!

Regarding our mother Kathryn words come to mind which I expect will strike a chord, evoke a memory.

Mum’s husband, our father, Liam. Their engagement was announced on 12th July 1952, and they married six months later, on 15th January 1953, in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook, Dublin.

According to the Irish Times: “The bride wore a gown of oyster slipper satin, with an old Limerick lace veil and a diamanté coronet..”

The 15th January 1953 marriage of Mum and Dad in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook, Dublin.

Mum’s brothers Jim and Tom Byrne; her sister Maureen; her “adopted” brother Barney Byrne, who living in Hong Kong survived as a prisoner of war in Hong Kong and Japan.

Mum’s schools – Loreto Abbey Dalkey (from the age of six years old, a school she ran away from twice. Following the outbreak of the second world war she recalled seeing German aircraft from her school, which overlooked Dublin Bay, while all the windows at night were covered with heavy blackout curtains. The close proximity of the school to potential bombing raids prompted her parents to transfer her to; Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) School Newtown Barry, Bunclody, Wexford About FCJ Convent & School Bunclody; a school she loved, and where she excelled in music and sports. As Captain of her school hockey team she was fondly referred to a “Legs Eleven”. She completed her schooling years at Loreto Abbey Rathfarnham, in Dublin.

Fashion– Spontaneously creative, having personally designed many of the striking dresses, blouses, and jackets that she wore with an almost effortless ease, there was always elegance and appeal in the way our mother presented herself. She had trained in “beauty and sales” in Harrods and worked as a fashion model in London (living in St. Mary’s Convent, Institute of the Blessed Virgin, Fitzjohns Avenue, Hempstead, and in Bath), and here in Dublin with Henry White. She also worked as a colour coordinator and fashion and design consultant for the nylon hosiery manufacturer Berkshire Knitting Mills in Newtownards, County Down, Reading Berkshire. Her proud horsey father, James, loved to quip to his daughter that she had “a fine pair of fetlocks” (horsey-speak for ankles)!

Fragrance – YSATIS de Givenchy.

Music – Mum studied music from childhood. Soon after leaving school, in 1946 two nineteen year old ladies were offered life changing opportunities to study singing in Milan. When Mum asked her brothers for the £200 she needed to fund her studies they took the wind out of her sail, fretting over the amorous intentions of Italian men and the dangers of a young woman travelling to a newly formed Republic of Italy still numbed and severely damaged by war. Presumably, as was commonplace for a well brought up Irish woman at that time, she was expected to stay at home and wait for the ideal future husband to come along. A life-changing moment for Mum, given that the second lady sold her pony and went to become Ireland’s ‘Grande Dame’ of singing. My two brothers and I are absolutely delighted that Mum’s life-long friend Dr. Veronica Dunne (“Auntie Ronnie”) is here with us today (Mum and Ronnie were born on the same day, August 3rd 1927).

Entertaining – Mum had a deep and genuine interest in everyone she met – people from all walks of life. She was one hell of a party organiser: Ambassadors, Taoisigh, or just our neighbours. I know you’ll have a smile when you recollect Kathryn’s talent for quickly putting complete strangers at ease whether in Knockbrack, Avoca Lodge, Tudor House or Moorefield.

Painting – Mum loved her painting, especially her classes with Alma (Brayden), Margaret (Margetsen), and Bernie (Lyons). It didn’t matter what the end product looked like (despite sometimes getting up at 3:00am to add a dab here and a touch-up there) – she loved colours and new ideas.

Writing – Mum loved the English language, in her free time writing with a modest yet thoughtful expression which – whether a letter to her dearly-loved children, or an opinion piece for a fashion or societal magazine – always portrayed her deep sense of humanity and compassion. In an article written for the journal of Irish Women’s Political Association titled ‘The Gamines (Los Gaminos) of Bogotá‘ she asked: “And what of us safely ensconced in the faraway ‘developed’ worlds of Europe and America? What responsibility do our affluent societies bear for the prevalence and maltreatment of Bogotá’s disposable street children?” (Source / read more: http://wp.me/s15Yzr-2593)

Literature –

Interior decorating – Mum’s eye for fashion, intuitive sense of style and her ability to create/recreate were subject to a constant stream of compliments, regarding the way she designed our family home and how good her taste was when it came decorating and updating old furniture, undertakings which she loved.

Company director – Her father-in-law Dr. MW O’Reilly observing Mum’s capacity for “listening” appointed her to the Board of Directors in two of the many companies he established in Ireland.

Cooking – The Coffee Cakes, the Guinness Cake, and, of course, the Brown Bread. Mum derived enormous pleasure from her delicious cooking. I plan to spend a lot of time studying her all-embracing cookery book collection, which stretches back to the days of her grandmother.

Gardening – As you can see from the photo at the back of the Mass pamphlet, our mother, born under the sun sign of Leo, loved gardening (the garden was where she felt closest to God). She could reel off the Latin names of the flowers and shrubs which emblazoned her magical garden – and her Eden was always alive in a myriad of colours and chorus of chirping birds.

Travel – Honeymoon in Paris, Nice and Italy; UK, especially London, and Berkshire where her boys went to school; Mauritius (de Froberville and du Maurier families); Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela (British Ambassador John and Jenny Hickman, British Ambassador Jock and Molly Taylor) – [In Ecuador she was also a guest of elder statesman Galo Plaza Lasso (former President of Ecuador), and developed a deep interest in the many unknown tribes of the dense rain forests of Oriente region of eastern Ecuador]; Florida and New York; The Hague, Bonn, and East Berlin (British AmbassadorJock and Molly Taylor); pate, cheese and wine Tour de France (Mum driving, Niall navigating); China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore (Niall).

Rugby – A forthright armchair supporter and at times severe critic of the Ireland and Leinster rugby teams, especially when seated in front of a glowing fire on a cold winter’s afternoon armed with a mug of Barry’s tea.

Family Nest– Her welcoming“Moorefield” (Our home) – her ‘red room’, books and the warm cozy fireplace, her time-honored glowing Christmas, replete with tradition, her love of antiques, Muffin I and II (the family dogs), her car…

Family – Our Mother’s primary love, her reason for being, was her family.

Husband – A devoted wife to our dear father Liam who passed away on Tuesday May 8th 1973.

In one of our numerous conversations about her formative years, before she married Liam, Mum told me both a medical student as well as a doctor friend proposed to her within the period of a week, and in her innocence, not wishing to upset them, said “yes” to the both of them. She didn’t even know they had being courting her. Of course, when her mother Min found out there was holy war!

Following the death of our father Liam, 39 years ago, Mum devoted herself to the sole purpose of ensuring the well-being of her children. Throughout this period she endured many hardships and impediments, but kept persisting through fear, confusion and loneliness, always placing her children first. Life was hard, but Mum was harder!

Right to her last breath – HER BOYS WERE HER LIFE!

Kathryn was simply a wonderful mother, true friend, and close confidante, indispensable in every way. She loved her community of dear friends from all walks of life, and it is this trait that brings us all here today to celebrate the life of our mother on her birthday.

Finally, William, Conor and I wish to extend our genuine and heartfelt appreciation to all the staff of the Blackrock Clinic, as well as two fantastic family friends – Kevin O’Donnell and Maura Fennell – and Father Maurice O’Moore (Chief Celebrant at Mum’s funeral mass) for all your devoted and steadfast support during these very sad days.

Mum, heaven was made for you!

May you rest in peace!”

The gap left in a home from the loss of a mother just cannot be replaced.

Sources: A few words about our Mother as written and delivered by me at the Requiem Mass to Celebrate the Life of Kathryn O’Reilly, at St. Patrick’s Church, Monkstown Village, Saturday August 4th 2012, 10 am.

– Kathryn O’Reilly Curriculum Vitae as handwritten in the early 1980’s.